The present invention relates generally to articles of footwear, and in particular to articles of footwear having a cushioning support system suitable for use in a welted shoe.
Traditional Goodyear welted shoes, an example of which is found in FIG. 1, typically utilize an upper connected to a midsole component through the use of a welt, e.g., a strip of leather, rubber, or plastic that is stitched to the upper and midsole component. The midsole component, in some welt constructions, may include a cushioning layer that is attached to a stiff insole board made of non-woven and/or cellulose material. As shown in FIG. 1, such insole boards may also overly or rest on top of the aforementioned cushioning layer. Thus, a stiff material (e.g., the insole board) is usually disposed between the foot of a user and the cushioning material in some welt constructions. Additionally, while in this type of footwear construction the upper and midsole may be connected together by stitching, an outsole is usually attached to the midsole through the use of a high strength adhesive. The result is a relatively firm, but nevertheless workable piece of footwear, which will eventually mold to the wearer's foot. Welted shoes of this sort have been commonly sold in the footwear industry, since the outsole can be easily replaced and the upper and welt components saved for re-use.
Various techniques for constructing welted shoes of the type described above have also been developed. As one example, a piece of an upper may first be secured to a portion of a welt-frame, such as a flange extending about a bottom surface of the welt construction (e.g., the “ply rib” of FIG. 1), via a staple or other connection mechanism. After initially securing the upper to the welt-frame, a welt, in the form of a strip of leather, rubber, or plastic, may then be stitched over the upper and into the flange portion of the welt-frame, thus securing the upper to the welt-frame. This flange portion (e.g., the ply rib) may also be attached to a stiff insole board, which may be a single or dual layered material. Additionally, an insole may be placed over the insole board and an outsole may be placed over a midsole portion of the welt construction.
Particular geometries used with the aforementioned midsole have also been developed, in which a series of cones is formed into the midsole. In this midsole construction, however, a stiff insole board overlies a top surface of the midsole and is cemented thereto. Cushioning potential is, as a result, lost, since a series of cones cannot be formed into a top surface of the midsole (e.g., the surface which comes into contact with the insole board). The stiff insole board is also typically disposed between a user's foot and the midsole, thus resulting in further loss of cushioning potential. What's more, the multitude of components used with the aforementioned welt construction serves to increase the stiffness of the shoe and provide for a complicated construction. As such, much is wasted in the way of manufacturing costs.